Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-07

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

How sugar is produced from sugar cane

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The process diagram illustrate the seven different stages of manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the diagram follows a seven sequential stages: in the beginning sugar canes are grow for 12 to 18 months whereas it is harvested by machine and humans. Similarly, sugarcanes are crushed into machine and juice is produced, while goes through the limestone filter, followed by evaporater and sugar are dried and cooled in a jar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the process as having seven stages and include the growing period of 12–18 months, both harvesting methods, crushing, filtering, evaporation, and drying/cooling. These details show a basic understanding of the diagram. However, the response is only 65 words, 85 words below the required minimum, so the process is reported only minimally. Important information is missing or unclear: for example, the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup, and the final product is sugar, not sugar dried in a jar. The overview also compresses several stages into one sentence rather than clearly summarising the main transformation from cane to sugar. Develop each stage with accurate details and explain the sequence more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable opening and an overview, and it generally follows the process from growing through to the final stage. This gives the reader a basic sense of sequence. However, the overview contains nearly all the information in one long sentence, so the stages are difficult to distinguish and the progression is not clearly developed. Linking words such as “whereas” and “Similarly” do not express the relationships accurately: the harvesting methods are alternatives, while crushing and juice production are successive steps. Use separate sentences or a short paragraph to group the early stages and later processing, and choose connectors that show sequence, such as “Next,” “After this,” and “Finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “manufacturing process,” “limestone filter,” “evaporater,” and “dried and cooled,” so the topic is generally clear. There is also some attempt to vary wording with “whereas” and “Similarly.” However, the range is limited, and several word choices or forms are inaccurate: “crushed into machine” does not describe the action naturally, “juice … goes through” is awkward, and “jar” is not supported by the diagram, which shows a drying and cooling stage. “Evaporater” is also misspelled. Build a more precise set of process verbs and nouns, such as “feed the cane into a crusher,” “filter the juice,” “heat it until it becomes syrup,” and “sugar crystals.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a complex overview sentence using “whereas” and “while,” and the basic sequence can still be understood. However, the response relies on a very limited range of sentence structures, and errors occur frequently. For example, “The process diagram illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “sugar canes are grow” uses an incorrect passive verb form. In “juice is produced, while goes through the limestone filter,” the second clause has no clear subject. The final clause, “sugar are dried and cooled,” also has agreement problems. Practise forming accurate passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The canes are harvested” and “The juice is filtered,” and divide the long overview into shorter, complete sentences.

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